


one more

by unsungillumination



Category: Persona 5
Genre: AU, AU - Akechi is in the Velvet Room, Choose Your Own Adventure, Gen, Multiple Endings, POV Second Person, Spoilers, this is a really experimental fic format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 03:43:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unsungillumination/pseuds/unsungillumination
Summary: you free the phantom thieves of hearts in the cells of the velvet room.there's someone else.(a choose-your-own-adventure fic with multiple endings. play your cards right, and you might give someone a chance they were never afforded.)





	1. begin.

**Author's Note:**

> this is a _really_ experimental fic - i mostly wrote it just to see if i could make it work!
> 
> honestly, i'm really nervous about sharing this. it's totally new. please don't expect a literary masterpiece or take it too seriously! it's something i wanted to write out of sheer intrigue, not my best work.
> 
> but, i do genuinely hope you get a kick out of playing my little game. i had a great time making it.
> 
> enjoy! x

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> guidelines:  
> 1\. unlike in the game, you can fail to free him if you pick the wrong choices. this fic has **three** endings: two are designed as bad ends (similar), and one designed as the true end. but in the end, it's up to you which is which. it depends what you want.  
>  2\. this fic must be viewed in "chapter by chapter" format (not "entire work") in order for the links to function.  
> 3\. navigate using in-fic links, not "next chapter". it won't make any sense in chronological order!  
> 4\. it's better not to look at the chapter titles - they won't spoil it, but best not to have anything ruined for you.
> 
> good luck - i hope you have fun!!

**[Lavenza]** Our mutual friend knows where the exit is.

 **[Lavenza]** Morgana, please guide them.

 **[Lavenza]** And thank you for all that you’ve done. It’s a cruel responsibility that’s been cast upon you…

 **[Morgana]** I will accept your words of appreciation fully when everything is over.

 **[Morgana]** Now follow me!

_Morgana starts for the door. The team follows him._

_You feel there is unfinished business to attend._

>Not yet.

**> I’m not done.**

**[Morgana]** What do you mean? The whole team’s here already. Let’s go.

>Are you sure?

**> They aren’t the only ones who need saving.**

**[Morgana]** Huh?

 **[Lavenza]** …I wondered if you would notice.

 **[Lavenza]** You’re right. There is one more present here.

 **[Lavenza]** You don’t have much time. If you’re going to save him, you’d best do it quickly.

 **[Ryuji]** Dude, what’s she talkin’ about?

 **[Igor]** Well! I look forward to seeing what you make of this one, Trickster.

 **[Igor]** The rest of you had best prepare to leave.

 **[Ann]** Not without him!

 **[Morgana]** …Don’t worry. We’re not going to leave him behind. But my master is right.

 **[Morgana]** If this is what I think it is… We probably shouldn’t hang around.

_You nod to your team. They trail for the exit, casting uncertain glances at you over their shoulders._

_You turn to the maze of cells and delve back in._

 

* * *

 

_As you pace down one long corridor, you notice a door that you didn’t see before._

_What will you do?_

[>Try it.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601939)

[>I don’t need no door.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601957)


	2. try it.

_You try the door._

_It opens into a smaller, darker corridor. There is one cell at the end, in the deepest area of shadow._

_There’s a figure curled on the floor of the cell. As you approach the cell, it becomes clear that the figure is familiar to you._

_What will you do?_

[>Walk away.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601960)

[>Greet Goro Akechi.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601966)


	3. i don't need no door.

_You run around the entire cell maze, exactly as you had done before._

_To your complete and utter surprise, all the empty cells you have already seen are still, shockingly, empty._

[Maybe you should try the door.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601939)


	4. walk away.

_You stop before you reach the cell._

_The world is ending. You aren’t sure you exist right now._

_This isn’t what you need._

_You don’t think you can do it._

_You don’t even know if you want to._

[Return to the Velvet Room.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602095)


	5. greet goro akechi.

_You step into the shadow._

_As you approach the cell, he looks up at you._

_You try to read his eyes, but you aren’t sure there are any words._

**[Akechi]** I should have known.

 **[Akechi]** You can’t even let me rot in peace.

_He wraps his arms around his knees and tucks his face away._

_There’s so much to say._

>You’re alive.

**> I thought you were dead.**

**[Akechi]** Did you? So did I.

 **[Akechi]** It turns out I can’t even do _that_ for real.

_He laughs. If the sound he makes even counts for that._

_You wish he would look at you._

**[Akechi]** The lines between the Metaverse and the real world are just too blurred now, wouldn’t you say?

 **[Akechi]** …And in the end… Not blurred enough.

_What will you do?_

[>Stay and talk.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601969)

[>Leave.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601975)


	6. stay and talk.

_You stand silently at the door of the cell._

_You’ve never been a talkative person, you know. But now more than ever, you don’t know what to say._

_Luckily, he seems to have the words to fill your silence. As he always seemed to._

**[Akechi]** …I guess you’ve won.

 **[Akechi]** So far as anyone _can_ win, in this disaster zone of a world.

 **[Akechi]** You stole Shido’s heart, didn’t you?

 **[Akechi]** You kept your end of the deal.

 **[Akechi]** Thank you.

 **[Akechi]** But in the end, that didn’t change anything for you. You didn’t get what you wanted.

 **[Akechi] …** Don’t you ever waver? Don’t you ever stop to wonder if what you’re doing is worth it?

_What will you say?_

[>Of course I do.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601990)

[>Never.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602005)

[>Do you?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602011)


	7. leave.

_You take a step back._

_You can’t do this._

_You turn to leave._

_As you do, you hear his voice behind you._

**[Akechi]** Are you leaving, then?

 **[Akechi]** Go on. I can’t say I blame you.

 **[Akechi]** I assume you’re off to save the world.

 **[Akechi]** …Good luck.

[Return to the Velvet Room.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602095)


	8. "of course i do."

**[Akechi]** Really? Even the great Phantom Thief leader knows to doubt himself?

 **[Akechi]** I find that hard to believe.

 **[Akechi]** I think it would be impossible to take the action you’ve taken without full conviction, don’t you?

 **[Akechi]** After all, you’ve all but redefined drastic measures, time and time again.

[Continue.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602035)


	9. "never."

**[Akechi]** That sounds about right.

 **[Akechi]** Only a self-assured fool could take the action you’ve taken.

 **[Akechi]** After all, you’ve all but redefined drastic measures, time and time again.

[Continue.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602035)


	10. "do you?"

**[Akechi]** …I suppose I have.

 **[Akechi]** It’s strange to admit. I’ve gone through most of my life without doubting my intentions. And I’ve never had any reason to doubt my ability, if you’ll pardon my candour.

 **[Akechi]** …But if I truly had done everything right, would I have wound up here?

[Continue.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602035)


	11. continue.

**[Akechi]** …Shido confessed, but the world is as it was.

 **[Akechi]** I thought I would be content to know that he was ruined.

 **[Akechi]** Even if he becomes Prime Minister now, it wouldn’t mean anything. Not for him.

 **[Akechi]** His team might maintain power, but he himself would likely just be a figurehead.

 **[Akechi]** Regardless of how society seems ready to pardon him, he’s a broken man.

 **[Akechi]** I thought that would be enough for me. I never cared what happened to the rest of the country. I only wanted him destroyed.

 **[Akechi]** And he is. You made sure of that.

>Are you satisfied?

**> Is it enough?**

**[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** I never wanted anything else.

 **[Akechi]** …No. It’s not enough.

 **[Akechi]** This isn’t… what I wanted it to be.

 **[Akechi]** Shido wasn’t the only one who let me down. I thought…

 **[Akechi]** So long as the world remains complacent to this, to – to him, I…

 **[Akechi]** I can never be satisfied with this outcome. It’s not enough to break him – like this. I thought…

 **[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** Is this it, then…? I’m not dead, but I’m not alive. I don’t think I know how to be either one anymore.

_What will you say?_

[>Come with me.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602044)

[>We can save you.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602047)


	12. "come with me."

**[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** And do what?

 **[Akechi]** Do you think the Phantom Thieves will invite me in with open arms? What, you’ll run and save the world with me in tow?

 **[Akechi]** I’m not a part of your little team.

[>You can be.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602056)

[>Let’s make another deal.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602062)


	13. "we can save you."

**[Akechi]** Someone has a high opinion of themselves.

 **[Akechi]** I don’t need saving. Weren’t you listening? This isn’t about life or death. Not for me.

 **[Akechi]** I don’t care what happens to me. I never have.

 **[Akechi]** Sooner or later, I always assumed I’d end up –

 **[Akechi]** …One way or another…

 **[Akechi]** Finished.

 **[Akechi] …** I only care about finishing the job. And it’s too late for that.

[>Come with me.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602044)


	14. "you can be."

**[Akechi]** Oh, don’t be an idiot.

 **[Akechi]** I don’t want that, and neither do you.

 **[Akechi]** I never belonged with you. Don’t pretend otherwise. Our values are entirely incompatible.

 **[Akechi]** You can pretend to tolerate me, if that’s what you want to do. You can pretend to care.

 **[Akechi]** But it’s not just you, is it? Your little gang of thieves doesn’t think so well of me, and I have to say the feeling is mutual.

 **[Akechi]** No matter what, I’ll never be a Phantom Thief. It was never meant to be.

 **[Akechi]** …In this life…

 **[Akechi]** That’s fine with me. I don’t care about them.

 **[Akechi]** I don’t care about you.

 **[Akechi]** There’s nothing I can help you with.

 **[Akechi]** You should go if you want to make your deadline. I’m sure the great hero has a world to save, after all.

[Return to the Velvet Room.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602101)


	15. "let's make another deal."

**[Akechi]** …A deal.

 **[Akechi]** I suppose our goals align, if our values do not.

 **[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** I don’t…

 **[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** I don’t think I’m ready to leave the world just yet.

 **[Akechi]** I have unfinished business.

 **[Akechi]** …If I come with you…

 **[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** Tell me, Joker. What happens next?

[>We save the world.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602077)

[>I don’t know.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602086)


	16. "we save the world."

**[Akechi]** So simplistic.

 **[Akechi]** I thought better of you. I suppose that was foolish of me.

 **[Akechi]** Save the world…

 **[Akechi]** Can you tell me what that means?

 **[Akechi]** What does a saved world look like, hm? Does everyone live in peace? Do you abolish war? Conflict? Corruption?

 **[Akechi]** Is there a place for someone like me or you? Shall our sins be forgiven? Our crimes reprieved?

_… … …_

**[Akechi]** Why don’t you answer?!

 **[Akechi]** …You’re too proud to admit you don’t know.

 **[Akechi]** …Forget it. There’s no point.

 **[Akechi]** I’ve come to peace with my failure. I suggest you do the same.

 **[Akechi]** I suppose you’re on your way out to find your saved world now.

 **[Akechi]** I wish you luck.

[Return to the Velvet Room.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602101)


	17. "i don't know."

**[Akechi]** …That’s an honest answer, considering it isn’t one.

 **[Akechi]**  And here I thought you had them all.

 **[Akechi]** You know, I’ve always found you rather refreshing.

_… … …_

**[Akechi]** In this new world you purport to create… You don’t even know if there will be a place for you.

 **[Akechi]** You’ll take that risk?

>We have no choice.

**> That doesn’t matter.**

**[Akechi]** How noble. As expected of someone with your naivety, I think.

 **[Akechi]** I suppose if the world ends, it wouldn’t matter in any case.

 **[Akechi]** You don’t have anything to lose.

 **[Akechi]** As good a reason as any…

 **[Akechi]** …

>Will you take the risk?

**> Will you come with me?**

**[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** … …

_Slowly, Akechi stands._

_You resist the slight urge to step back. He radiates something you can’t see and can’t feel. But you feel it there._

**[Akechi]** I’ll follow you.

 **[Akechi]** Not because I think you know what you’re doing.

 **[Akechi]** Ha. Maybe because you don’t.

 **[Akechi]** In the end…

 **[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** Well, if there’s nothing to lose, I may as well risk it all.

_There’s a blue flash so bright that you have to look away._

_When the light fades, Crow looks back at you._

_The epaulets look as stupid as you remember. You’re so glad to see them._

_The cell door fades, and he walks out to face you._

**[Akechi]** I’ll thank you once we – save the world. Whatever that ends up meaning.

 **[Akechi]** …But if you hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t have considered that an option.

 **[Akechi]** …

 **[Akechi]** Shall we, then?

[>We need to go.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602113)

[>Break time’s over.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29602113)


	18. ENDING 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you abandon akechi.

**[Igor]** So you decided not to save him.

 **[Igor]** I wonder what it was that drove your decision.

 **[Lavenza]** That doesn’t matter now. You don’t have much time.

 **[Lavenza]** Your friends are waiting at the entrance to your world.

 **[Lavenza]** Good luck.

-FIN-

[Reload?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601936)


	19. ENDING 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you fail to free akechi.

**[Igor]** In the end, you couldn’t save him.

 **[Igor]** I wonder what you could have done differently.

 **[Lavenza]** That doesn’t matter now. You don’t have much time.

 **[Lavenza]** Your friends are waiting at the entrance to your world.

 **[Lavenza]** Good luck.

-FIN-

[Reload?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601936)


	20. ENDING 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you free akechi.

**[Igor]** So you saved him.

 **[Igor]** Hm! Well done to you both.

 **[Lavenza]** I suppose you have a score to settle.

 **[Lavenza]** Your friends are waiting at the entrance to your world.

 **[Lavenza]** Good luck.

 **[Akechi]** …I don’t think your friends will take kindly to my joining you.

>They won’t mind.

**> It’s as much your fight.**

**[Akechi]** Yes, you Phantom Thieves are all about fairness.

 **[Akechi]** …Let’s go. We can talk after, if we’re still around.

_You take the stairs to where your friends are waiting. They look startled when they see who is with you._

**[Haru]** That’s -!

 **[Yusuke]** Akechi?

 **[Ryuji]** Seriously?!

 **[Futaba]** I thought he was dead!

 **[Ann]** Shh, not so loud!

 **[Ann]** Uhh, hiii…!

 **[Akechi]** …Hello, everyone.

 **[Akechi]** I understand your confusion, but shouldn’t we be going?

 **[Makoto]** …He’s right. We don’t have time for this.

 **[Morgana]** We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to leave.

 **[Morgana]** Even I don’t have a complete idea of what you’re doing here, Akechi.

 **[Morgana]** …But welcome aboard.

-FIN-

[Reload?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12950562/chapters/29601936)

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! if you liked it, i'd be super grateful for a kudos or a comment to let me know it worked out for you. this _was_ an experiment, after all.  <3
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/gIadio_amicitia) or [tumblr](gladiolus---amicitia.tumblr.com)!


End file.
